Contoured stack of jet engine with channel wing aircraft

ABSTRACT

The discharge end of the exhaust stack of the jet engine is flattened and contoured to provide an elongated, curved, channelshaped discharge opening, and the jet engine is mounted so that the discharge end of the exhaust stack is disposed adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge of the open channel for discharging all of the exhaust gases in a flat stream parallel with the channel surface to provide a lift effect.

United States Patent [151 3,704,842

Custer [4 1 Dec. 5, 1972 [s41 CONTOUREI) STACK 0F JET ENGINE 3,123,321 3/1964 Custer ..244/12 WITH CHANNEL WING AIRCRAFT 2,61 1,556 9/1952 Custer ..244/12 [72] Inventor: Willard R. Custer, 1905 W. 1 Washington Street, l-lagerstown,

[22] Filed: Oct. 16, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 81,266

[52] US. Cl. ..244/12 CW, 244/42 CC [51] Int. Cl ..B64c 15/04; [58] Field of Search ..294/l2, 42 CC [56] V ,Reierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,665,083 1/1954 Custer 1.244/12 2,961,192 I l l/l96 0 Davidson et a] ..244/42 CC Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant Examiner-Stephen G. Kunin Attorney-Raphael Semmes 1 [5 7 1 ABSTRACT The discharge end of the exhaust stack of the jet engine is flattened and contoured to provide an elongated, curved, channel-shaped discharge opening, and the jet engine is mounted so that the discharge end of the exhaust stack is disposed adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge of the open channel for discharging all of the exhaust gases in a flat stream parallel with the channel surface to provide a lift effeet.

1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDDEC 5 I972 3, 704.842

SHEEI1UF3 INVENTOR' W/LL 4R0 I? 605752 ATTORNEY PATENTED E 5 SHEET 2 UF 3 H I'GPNF Y PATENTED DEC 5 I972 SHEET 3 [IF 3 //v VENTOF? WILLA/e0 A? CUS E y ,QW' A TTOKNE Y CONTOURED STACK OF JET ENGINE WITH CHANNEL WING AIRCRAFT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to obtain additional lift in aircraft wings, it has been known to provide the wings with an upwardly opening channel extending from the leading to the trailing edge thereof and to mount the aircraft engines in such a manner as to induce a flow of air through the channel section and across the air foil surface thereof. However, the flow of induced air through the channel wings in the known prior art was discharged in a manner which resulted in obtaining less than the maximum lift possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an improved arrangement of an aircraft having upwardly opening channels extending across the wings thereof and a jet engine mounted with the discharge end of its contoured exhaust stack disposed adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge of the open channels so that the hot gases and flame being expelled from the elongated, channel-shaped discharge opening of the flattened stacks pass over and slightly above the airfoil section of the channels in a controlledand efficient manner to provide the maximum lift possible.

It is an object of the invention to discharge jet engine exhaust gases and flame as a flattened stream across the upwardly open lift channel of an aircraft and slightly above the' upwardly facing surface of the channel to obtain the maximum lift possible.

A further object of the invention is to obtain added lift in a jet engine powered aircraft having upwardly opening channels by discharging all of the hot, jet engine exhaust gases as flattened, streams across and immediately above the surface of the open channels.

It is also an object of this invention to position the discharge end of a contoured exhaust stack of a jet engine to discharge a flattened stream of hot gasesinto the leading edge of an upwardly open lift channel of an aircraft wing parallel with and closely adjacent the upwardly facing surfaceof the channel bottom wall.

Another object of the invention is to arrange the discharge end of the exhaust stack of an aircraft jet engine so that the contoured, elongated, channel-shaped, discharge opening thereof is symmetrical withthe bottom wall lift surface of an upwardly open channel.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when taken with the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, rear elevational view of one wing of a channel-wing aircraft showing the flattened, contoured exhaust stack of a jet engine disposed symmetrical with and a short distance above the curved, bottom wall of the upwardly open channel;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, sectional view of the aircraft and jet engine taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional top plan view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional side elevational view similar to that of FIG. 2, showing a modified form of a jet engine contoured exhaust stack and one wing of a channel-wing aircraft;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, rear elevational view similar to that of FIG. 1, showinga modified form of wing channel with the contoured exhaust stack of a jet engine positioned to discharge. hot gases through the upwardly open channel,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, top plan view of a jet propelled channel aircraft having upwardly open channel portions showing the contoured exhaust stacks arranged to discharge hot gases through the open channels; and 1 FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view, taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6, showing the contoured discharge opening of the exhaust stacks positioned a short distance above the open channel portions. I

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED FORMS OF THE INVENTION As shown in FIG. 1 for the purpose of illustrating the invention, only one wing 1 of an aircraft is shown extending generally horizontally outwardly from one side of the aircraft body or the fuselage 3. It isto be understood that the structure and arrangement described herein also applied to a similar structureand arrangement at the other side of the aircraft. The wing l is formed with a generally U-shaped, upwardly opening channel portion 5 near the inner end of the wing where it joins the aircraft body. The U-shaped channel portion 5 extends generally longitudinally of the aircraft from the leading edge7 of the aircraft wing 1 to the trailing edge 9 thereof, and the upwardly facing surface of the open channel 5 is preferably of airfoil configuration although it may be flat or otherwise configured. The upwardly facing bottom wall 11 of the open channel 5 is concave as viewed from the leading or trailing edge of the wing and the sidewalls 13 and 15 of the open channel 5 extend upwardly and diverge slightly outwardly from the bottom wall 1 1.

A jet engine, generally indicated by the reference numeral 17, is mounted on the body 3 of the aircraft by suitable struts or support means 19. The exhaust stack 21 of the jetengine 17 is flattened and curved at the discharge end 23 thereof to provide an elongated, arcuate, channel-shaped discharge opening 25 for the hot gases and flame of the jet engine.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the entire discharge end 23 of the exhaust stack 21 is contoured to be substantially symmetrical with the upwardly facing surface of the bottom wall 11 of the open channel 5, and the discharge end 23 is positioned a short distance to the rear of the leading edge 7 of the open channel 5 and a short distance above the surface of the bottom wall 11. By means of this arrangement, the hot exhaust gases and flame from the jet engine are squirted rearwardly of the aircraft and in substantially a horizontal direction as a flattened, high speed stream over and slightly above the air foil section of the channel for providing the maximum lift possible at the channel section of the wing and thus adding substantially to the lift of the remainder of the wing.

As illustrated in the form of the invention shown in FIG. 4. the discharge end 23 of the exhaust stack 21 is positioned a short distance in advance of the bottom wall 11 of the open channel 5 and a short distance above the surface of the bottom wall 11 so that the hot gases and flame discharge into the open channel 5 and across the air foil surface of the channel to provide maximum additional lift in the aircraft wing.

The exact location of the discharge end 23 of the exhaust stack 21 with relation to the leading edge 7 of the open channel 5 may be varied from a short distance in advance of the leading edge 7 to a short distance to the rear thereof depending on factors such as the size, shape and configuration of the open channel 5 as well as the configuration of the contoured discharge of exhaust gases and flame from the jet engine.

It will be seen that the lower surface of the exhaust stack 21 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is disposed in a horizontal plane which is located substantially above the horizontal plane in which the lower surface of the jet engine lies, while, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower surface of the exhaust stack 21 and the lower surface of the jet engine 17 lie in substantially the same horizontal plane. Thus, it will be seen that the vertical position of the jetengine relative to the open channel may be varied or adjusted as is found necessary in order to obtain maximum aircraft efficiency and performance by suitably contouring the discharge end of the jet engine exhaust stack.

In FIG. 5, the wing 30 at one side of an aircraft extends outwardly from the body or fuselage 32 thereof and is provided with an U-shaped upwardlyopening channel portion 34 located adjacent the inner end of the wing where it is attached to the aircraft body. The open channel 34 includes a bottom wall 36 and side walls 38 and 40 extending vertically upwardly therefrom. The upwardly facing surface of the bottom wall 36 of the open channel 34, which may be of air foil configuration from the leading to the trailing edge thereof, is substantially horizontal or parallel with the surface of the air foil portion of the wing 30 extending outwardly beyond the open channel 34.

As shown in FIG. 5, the contoured flattened discharge end of the exhaust stack is arcuately curved to provide a convex, elongated, channel-shaped opening 42 which is not symmetrical with the upwardly facing surface of the bottom wall 36 of the open channel 34. However, the discharge end 44 of the exhaust stack 46 of the jet engine 48 is disposed adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge of the open channel 34 and may be positioned as shown in FIG. 2 a short distance to the rear of the leading edge open channel 34, a short distance in advance of the leading edge as shown in FIG. 4 or intermediate these two positions in order to obtain the maximum possible lift due to the flowing flattened stream of hot exhaust gases and flames passing through the open channel and close above the channel bottom wall. Since the opposite ends of the elongated, arcuately curved, discharge opening 42 are spaced a greater distance above the channel bottom wall 36 than the midportion of the discharge opening the stream of hot gases flowing from the exhaust stack will vary in distance from the surface of the open channel at different points along the length of the contoured discharge opening. However, it would be obvious to flatten the discharge end of the exhaust stack so as to provide an elongated, rectangular channel-shaped opening and to position the opening parallel with and a short distance above the horizontal bottom wall 36 so that all of the hot gases and flame would flow in a flattened stream at about the same distance above the bottom wall 36 of the open channel.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, the jet propelled aircraft shown is similar to those disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 2,611,555, 2,665,083, 2,721,045 and 2,765,993 in that the tubes 60 and 62 of the channel aircraft 63 open upwardly at the front and rear ends thereof to provide open channels 64 and 66 for producing a lift in addition to the wing lift.

A jet engine 68 is mounted in each of the tubes and the exhaust stack 70 of each of the jet engines is con-,

toured and flattened at the rear discharge end thereof to provide an elongated, arcuate, channel shaped discharge opening 72 for the hot exhaust gases and flame. The discharge end 74 of the exhaust stacks 'is curved to be symmetrical with the upwardly facing surface of the open channels 66 and is located closely adjacent and spaced a short distance above the leading edge of the open channels. The exhaust stacks are positioned so that all of the hot gases will flow in a flattened, elongated stream rearwardly in the open channels and substantially parallel with the upwardly facing surface thereof.

While a preferred form of the invention has been described and disclosed above, it is to be understood that such changes and alterations as would occur to those skilled in the art are to be considered within the purview of this invention as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an aircraft having an upwardly open lift channel extending generally longitudinally of the aircraft, and a jet engine for inducing air flow in said channel in a rearward direction, wherein said upwardly open channel is formed in the wing of said aircraft and extends across said wing from the leading to the trailing edge thereof;

a. said jet engine being mounted on the aircraft and the discharge end of the engine exhaust stack being disposed adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge of the open channel;

said exhaust stack being contoured at the discharge end thereof as an elongated, flattened, channel-shaped discharge opening;

. said discharge opening being directed substantially parallel to the surface of said open channel and rearwardly thereof for discharging all of the jet engine exhaust into said open channel adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge thereof as a flattened, high speed stream of hot gases substantially parallel to the channel surface to provide a lift effect. 

1. In an aircraft having an upwardly open lift channel extending generally longitudinally of the aircraft, and a jet engine for inducing air flow in said channel in a rearward direction, wherein said upwardly open channel is formed in the wing of said aircraft and extends across said wing from the leading to the trailing edge thereof; a. said jet engine being mounted on the aircraft and the discharge end of the engine exhaust stack being disposed adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge of the open channel; b. said exhaust stack being contoured at the discharge end thereof as an elongated, flattened, channel-shaped discharge opening; c. said discharge opening being directed substantially parallel to the surface of said open channel and rearwardly thereof for discharging all of the jet engine exhaust into said open channel adjacent to and a short distance above the leading edge thereof as a flattened, high speed stream of hot gases substantially parallel to the channel surface to provide a lift effect. 